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Council debates transparency resolution and project‑tracking ordinances; asks staff for practical tracking templates
Summary
Council discussed Resolution 142026 and ordinances (including 202613 and 202614) to create a public project‑intake and legislative‑tracking registry. Members split on whether to legislate procedural detail versus building internal processes and website tools; staff will share earlier tracking spreadsheets and examples and work with council on required fields and workload implications.
Council members discussed a package of measures to improve transparency in the village’s legislative and development processes, centered on Resolution 142026 and related ordinances that would establish project intake, status tracking, public posting and benchmarks.
Supporters said a live public registry would reduce public‑records requests and improve public access to application status and critical dates. One member described the desired output as "a simple spreadsheet" that shows who submitted a major site plan, submission date, fees paid, review dates, and the current reading stage. Opponents cautioned the council against prescribing specific software or micromanaging administrative work; staff said much of the process is already codified and that internal spreadsheets used by prior administrations could be adapted for a public website.
Council asked the administration to circulate examples of previously used tracking spreadsheets and to propose a practical list of fields for a public registry. Members stressed that any approach should be sustainable, avoid excessive staffing burdens, and be flexible enough to cover different intake types (major site plans, preliminary plans, legislation). The mayor noted that some components might be implemented administratively or via the new website, while ordinances would codify requirements that must be maintained across administrations.
Council did not adopt the ordinances at the special meeting. Staff and interested council members agreed to collaborate on a prototype tracking sheet and to determine which elements belong in administrative procedure versus an ordinance.
